The Bud of Youth

Credit: © Fedor Sidorov / Fotolia

Antioxidants are popular anti-aging ingredients in skin creams, and now scientists are reporting a new source of these healthful substances — leaf buds of poplar trees.

Researchers Xavier Vitrac and his colleagues note that there’s a long history of using poplar buds to treat various health problems, such as colds, sinusitis, sunburn and arthritis. Propolis, a substance found in beehives that is made from poplar buds, also appears to have similar disease-fighting benefits. Propolis’ effects are due in part to the poplar bud’s compounds, but very little is known about these substances. Researchers tested an extract from the buds and found it to contain moderate antioxidant activity. “The collective antioxidant properties and transcriptional effect of this extract suggest potential anti-aging properties which could be utilized in cosmetic and nutraceutical formulations,” the scientists say.

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